Selby

Selby's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to the latest census. At the same time there were changes in religion, work life and housing tenure.

The population passed 83,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Selby increased by 9.1%, from almost 76,500 to 83,400.

The addition of almost 7,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Selby was home to, on average, 0.99 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Selby

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Selby increased by three years, from 39 to 42 years.

This rural area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 3,400 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 2,000.

About 13% of people in Selby are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Selby by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Selby

The number of people in Selby that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 62,000 in 2001 to about 59,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 81% to 71% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 73% to 60%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Selby that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 8,600 in 2001 to about 18,000 in 2011 (from 11% to 22%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just under 5,500 to about 5,600. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 7.2% to 6.7%.

About 210 people (0.2%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just under 120 in 2001 (0.3%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Selby decreased by 10 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Selby by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Selby working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 16% to 12% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week remained close to 1.6%.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 13% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Selby decreased by 3.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Selby

The percentage of Selby residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 7.0% to 7.2% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 2.8%, while the percentage of Selby residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 90% to 89%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.0% in 2001 to 6.5% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Selby, but at a slower rate than in Doncaster (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Selby).

In Selby, the proportion of private renting increased from 5.8% in 2001 to 11% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Doncaster increased from 6.6% to 15%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 16%.

The rate of social housing in Selby fell from 13% to 12%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 78% to 75%.

Private renting in Selby increased by 5.2 percentage points

Percentage of households in Selby, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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